Is January the finest month?

January, for most of the nation, is the cruellest month. From Stornoway to the Scillies people are in credit card debt doldrums, their clothes no longer fit and family relations — after all that lovely time together at Christmas — are invariably fraught.

For those like you and me, however, Tanuary is the most wonderful time of the year. The migratory ducks are arriving in force on our shores and the cock pheasants are strutting about looking delightfully plump. The pheasants in particular are stronger, faster, wilder, and fly much higher than those early birds in the first week of October.

There is more meat and fat on them, making them better birds for the table. Not only have they improved their physical stature through the season but